


Hearts in Motion

by BubblySage



Category: Ookiku Furikabutte | Big Windup!, ダイヤのA | Daiya no A | Ace of Diamond
Genre: Abe gets to be captain, Body Swap, Crossover, Fluff, Light Angst, M/M, Miyuki gets mom'd, Mochi is confused af, Mochi suspects, Slow Burn, Some Humor, abemiha, abemiha fluff, catcher swap, inappropriate Tajima as always, lots of handholding lol, mihashi sees abe smile, misawa, misawa handholding, miyusawa
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-07-15
Updated: 2018-09-11
Packaged: 2019-06-11 01:13:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 14,271
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15304164
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BubblySage/pseuds/BubblySage
Summary: Sometimes you really have to be careful what you wish for.akaThe Daiya x Oofuri crossover you never thought you needed lol





	1. Shadows burning in the dark

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Akulaledi](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Akulaledi/gifts).

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “The Orionid meteor shower, usually shortened to the Orionids, is the most prolific meteor shower associated with Halley's Comet. The Orionids are so-called because the point they appear to come from, called the radiant, lies in the constellation Orion, but they can be seen over a large area of the sky. Orionids are an annual meteor shower which last approximately one week in late October. In some years, meteors may occur at rates of 50–70 per hour.” – Orionids, Wikipedia

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy belated birthday Aryn! :) I honestly feel horrible that I'm giving you a WIP but I promise to finish it, haha!  
> Thanks to the wonderful Aargle_Baargle for beta-ing this.  
> Title came from Terrifed by Katharine McPhee.

 

 

One moonless night in October, the inky black sky, dotted with a multitude of stars, bears witness to the frustrated thoughts of two high school catchers.

In Tokyo, the Seido highschool grounds are dark, the overhead lights having just been turned off after lights out. Despite this, some baseball team members are still out in various places of the field, practicing their swings. The still night is disturbed only by the sound of bats slicing through the air. Miyuki straightens up from his batting stance and wipes the sweat off his forehead. He’s trying to burn off the frustration that seeped through him earlier that afternoon, when a sulking Sawamura, one of the pitchers in their team, stomped away from him. _Tch! I don’t understand him sometimes!_ Miyuki’s brows furrow slightly as he tries to recall what they fought about. _I don’t even remember what it was about, something about improving his control I think._ He sighs and rests his hands on his waist as he looks up at the night sky.

Over in the Saitama prefecture, Abe Takaya looks up out of his room’s balcony and into the inky darkness. He sighs as he hangs his head and remembers the disaster earlier that day, when Mihashi, their team’s pitcher, cowered and hid behind Tajima, another one of their teammates. Despite getting along fairly well over the past few months since their team was formed, there are still moments when Abe has trouble understanding Mihashi. _Tajima seems to understand him better than I do_ , Abe sighs in frustration again. He’s really trying hard not to get angry or frustrated at his twitchy pitcher, but he just can’t help it sometimes especially when Mihashi seems unconcerned with his own health. Abe sighs again and looks up once more at the night sky.

 _If only there were a way to understand my pitcher better_. Just as this thought passed through both boys’ minds, a meteor streaks past, lighting the inky black night sky momentarily with its brilliance. It was gone as soon as it came and both boys look away to resume what they were doing—Miyuki continues his batting practice, while Abe heaves one last sigh before going back to his room. Up ahead, the stars continue to twinkle merrily, as the Orionid meteor shower continues to streak through the night sky.

***

Day 1

The pull of consciousness tugs at the edges of Miyuki’s senses. _Why does it seem so bright?_ He lifts one hand to peel back his sleeping mask but to his surprise, his fingers only find skin. He immediately opens his eyes and is greeted by streams of sunlight filtering through the room’s windows. He blinks for a few seconds as his eyes take in the sudden brightness. He begins to wonder why he seems to be in a different room and thinks back on the events of the previous evening. _Am I in someone else’s room?_ He immediately shakes off the thought—the Seido dormitories are all nearly identical in layout, and the one he’s currently in looks very different. He remembers feeling very exhausted after staying up late to practice his swings that he simply crashed on his bed and immediately fell asleep. He rubs still sleepy eyes and decides to get up, thinking that he’ll figure out where he is once he’s more awake.

Miyuki’s hand reaches underneath his pillow to grab his glasses, but his hands come up empty. He hoists himself up from the bed and swings one leg down the side, hands lifting his pillow high above his head. _That’s strange,_ he thinks as his eyes scan the entire bed, _they’re usually just underneath my pillow._ He huffs a frustrated sigh at the unlucky turn of events so early in the morning. His hand goes up to rub at his face, and then a sudden thought strikes him.

He looks straight ahead and stares at the opposite wall. He blinks and adjusts his gaze. His hand falls limply by his side as he continues to stare at the wall. Then he bolts from the bed and runs towards the bureau by the door. He grabs the small mirror perched on top and stares at his reflection. Dark gray-green eyes widen in surprise, and he nearly drops the mirror as he stumbles and lands on his butt on the floor. _What in the world is going on?_

***

Elsewhere, as if sensing danger, Abe’s body jerks awake and his eyes immediately open. He panics when he could only see darkness, but soon realizes there’s a sleeping mask covering his face. His hand goes up and pushes it away, wondering when he had put it on. His vision seems hazy, so he rubs his eyes, and looks around. He squints as he tries to focus his gaze, briefly wondering why his room is so dark. _My room has a window, doesn’t it?_

The sound of a door slamming open breaks his train of thought. “WAKE UP MIYUKI KAZUYA!!!”

Abe’s body jerks upright, and he cranes his neck to look, but his vision is so blurry that he can only make out the silhouette of a person standing before him. He rubs his eyes again, but his vision doesn’t seem to be clearing. He stares at the person, despite his blurry vision, in an attempt to identify him but try as Abe might, he can’t place his voice. He decides to tell the person off. “Look, I don’t know who you are or why you’re in my room—” Abe stops speaking mid-sentence, and his hand goes up to his throat. _Why does my voice sound so different?_

“Geh! You’re so horrible so early in the morning!” Abe hears the other person move away and fear grips him, especially since he can’t see well and the strange events are confusing him. He nearly calls out to the other person when an object is suddenly thrust into his face. “Put on your glasses and let’s go, Cap!”

 _Glasses?_ Abe stares at the object—this close to his face, he could clearly see it’s a pair of dark-rimmed glasses—and then looks up at the person again. _Is that why my vision is blurry?_ He takes the glasses and put them on. Abe nearly gasps as his vision clears and he could now clearly see that this is definitely not his bedroom. He turns his head to look at the other person and is met by gleaming golden eyes.

“Let’s go, Cap! Rise and shine!”

For a split-second, Abe gets the strangest feeling that if he steps out the door, he won’t even be in Saitama. _What the hell is going on?_

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kudos and comments are always appreciated :-)


	2. What I’ve been dreaming

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Where Mochi becomes suspicious and Miyuki gets mom’d

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Miyuki being mom’d is one of the things I’d always wanted to write. I don’t know if I did it any justice, but I hope you like it anyway :-)
> 
> I am very much overwhelmed by the reaction to this story so far. Thank you for all the likes and comments ^_^ I haven't written in a long time but you're all making me feel very welcome and very happy. Thank you :-)

 

 

Day 1

The field was rife with players batting, fielding, or pitching—just a regular day for the members of the Seido Baseball Team. Yet Kuramochi knows something weird is going on. He is usually perceptive about these things, especially where the idiotic duo, aka Miyuki and Sawamura, are concerned. As he awaits his turn for batting practice, Kuramochi’s gaze is drawn towards the outside wall of the bullpen, and he recalls something quite extraordinary that he witnessed earlier that day.

_Kuramochi walks out into the field after finishing breakfast when he sees Miyuki and Sawamura already there. He’s about to call out to them when he realizes something which stops him on his tracks. He squints his eyes, and a small gasp escapes his mouth. ‘Are they—are they holding hands?’_

_He quickly ducks to the side, hiding just behind the outer wall of the bullpen, but making sure he could still see the duo. As his back hits the wall, he expels the breath he doesn’t know he’s holding. ‘Calm down, Youichi, you must just be seeing things.’ Kuramochi counts to five before peering over the edge._

_Miyuki is facing Sawamura, holding up his right hand and pressing his palm to Sawamura’s left hand. Kuramochi would have thought Miyuki is merely playing a prank if not for the serious look on the catcher’s face. Sawamura, on the other hand, looks utterly aghast at the unfolding events. Even from a distance, Kuramochi could see the abundant dusting of red across the pitcher’s cheeks. Miyuki’s mouth is moving, and he seems to be saying something to Sawamura, but Kuramochi is too far away to hear. He could tell though that whatever Miyuki is saying seems to calm Sawamura a little—he still looks a little twitchy every time Miyuki moves, as their hands continually press together._

_When he sees Miyuki move closer, Kuramochi pulls back and flattens himself even more against the wall. His heart is racing against his chest, and his cheeks feel warm. His hands are clammy, and goosebumps dot the skin of both his arms. ‘It feels like I saw something I shouldn’t have.’ He shakes his head and then gets up to leave._

A loud shout on the field brings Kuramochi’s attention back to the present. He watches as Haruichi cleanly hits the pitch and sends the ball soaring high into the sky. He looks to the side and sees the new first-years, who have probably just finished their run, walk into the field.

Kuramochi barks a shout at the blonde one. “Oi, you, first-year!” Several heads turn toward him, and he is met with doleful gazes. _What was his name again, Oku-something? Damn it to hell!_ He quickly jogs over to the group. “You, the blonde-one! You’re rooming with Miyuki, right? What’s your name again?”

The blonde one, who clearly looks irritated and Kuramochi would too if he were in his shoes, nods. “Okumura Koushuu.”

“Right, right!” Kuramochi says and grins. “Did you notice anything strange with Miyuki this morning?”

Okumura hesitates for a second. “Not exactly.” Then he shares a look with another first-year, a brunette with glasses.

Kuramochi waits for the blonde to finish, but after a few seconds of awkward silence, he clears his throat and puts his hands on his waist. “Well?”

He watches Okumura and the brunette exchange another look, and he nearly yells at them when Okumura finally speaks up. “It was the usual really. Sawamura-senpai barged into the room to wake the captain, but the captain seemed out of it.”

“Out of it—how?”

“He said something like ‘I don’t know who you are or why you’re in my room,’ and then he stared at Sawamura-senpai as if he really didn’t recognize him.”

Kuramochi straightens up and becomes silent, which the two first-years interpret as the end of their conversation. They start to move away when Kuramochi calls out to them again. “What about Sawamura, what did he say?”

“He said something about the captain being his usual grouchy self so early in the morning and then handed the captain his glasses,” Okumura says without inflection, yet Kuramochi clearly hears the disbelief in the blonde’s voice. “If there’s nothing else, Kuramochi-senpai, we’ll be going now.”

He watches the two first-years walk away as his mind churns over the information. _Clearly something’s going on with Miyuki._ Before he could think further about this, Kuramochi hears the assistant coach call his name, and he jogs back towards the batting cages.

***

“Bye-bye! See you tomorrow!”

Everything appears bathed in a faint orange glow as students rush around saying their good-byes and packing their bags. The classroom is nearly empty before Miyuki hefts his school bag on one shoulder and makes his way outside the building. Having stayed in the Seido dormitories for the past two years, the experience of walking home after school feels foreign and unfamiliar. _This entire thing is foreign and unfamiliar._ Miyuki heaves a sigh as he remembers his predicament—of waking up in a different environment, and in a strange body.

He turns a corner and continues walking, the distance between the shops increasing as he leaves the business district behind and enters the residential area. He crosses into a narrow stretch of road, a ditch on either side giving way to vast farmlands, and Miyuki stops for a few minutes and gazes at the setting sun dipping low behind the mountain in the distance. He has lived all his life in Tokyo, and while he has watched countless sunsets from the Seido baseball fields, this is the first time he is seeing it unobstructed by buildings or city lights. As darkness blankets the entire town and Miyuki’s eyes adjust, he gazes up at the myriad twinkling stars and wonders if the sky in Tokyo ever looked this magnificent.

The ringing of a bicycle bell interrupts his musings and Miyuki side-steps to avoid being run over. His gaze sweeps over his surroundings—there is a house deep in the middle of the farm with lanterns switched on and swaying slightly at the breeze, other townsfolks walking in pairs or groups as they make their way home, a group of farmers laughing boisterously as they hoist their tools and some sacks onto their backs.

Miyuki falls in step alongside a group of students walking home from school. As he continues walking, he takes in the flow of the people around him and thinks that life seems unhurried in this place. He feels a tug of emotion as he realizes that he hasn’t taken a real break in a long while. _It’s always been school and baseball and the next tournament._ When he finally reaches the Abe’s house, Miyuki pauses just outside and breathes in deeply before clasping the knob and pushing the door open.

He is immediately greeted by the aroma of food being prepared in the kitchen, the scent wafting across the living room and into the hallway. Miyuki’s mouth waters immediately and he unconsciously licks his lips. He closes the door behind him and stares at the shoes on the _genkan_. A wave of unfamiliar emotion washes over him at the sight. He drops his bag on the floor and sits down to remove his shoes. The pattering of feet is the only warning he receives before his heart constricts heavily in his chest.

“Oh, you’re here! I thought I heard the door open.”

Miyuki’s eyes close momentarily as he pulls off his shoes. He moves to place them inside the cabinet and then grabs a pair of slippers. He straightens up and then turns to look into the eyes of his—Takaya’s—mother.

“ _Tadaima_!” He automatically utters, his voice raspy as he feels something lodged in his throat.

Abe Misae’s eyes crinkle at the corners as a wide smile appears on her face. “ _Okaeri_ , Takaya!”

Miyuki wills his body to move, but his feet feel glued to the floor. His heart thunders in his chest, and it feels so loud, he’s surprised that his—Takaya’s—mother doesn’t hear it. The memory of what happened earlier that day flits into his mind.

_As the initial shock of waking up in a different body starts to wear off, Miyuki quickly gathers his wits about him and ponders the situation. He looks around and quickly determines that he still seems to be a high school student. He gazes out the window and gets the odd feeling that he is not in Tokyo anymore—there are no tall buildings or structures on the horizon. He was just contemplating his next move when a loud shout from outside the room takes him by surprise._

_“Takaya, get up, or you’ll be late for school!”_

_His eyes widen, and he scrambles to get ready. He opens a drawer and quickly grabs the essentials. Then he opens the door and steps out into the hallway. He heads towards the bathroom when he realizes that he doesn’t know where it is. Luckily, he saw someone emerge from a room with a towel hanging around their neck._

_“Good morning, Takaya! You seem to be running late today. Did you forget to set your alarm?” The other person, a middle-aged burly man several inches taller than him, greets in a loud voice._

_Miyuki simply nods as he passes him by. He thinks to himself that this must be his—Takaya’s—father. Once inside the bathroom, Miyuki makes quick work of washing his face, brushing his teeth, and changing into clean clothes. Then he goes back into his room and grabs what looks like a school bag. He notices the baseball uniform inside, and he smiles to himself as he makes his way down the stairs. His stomach grumbles at the scent of food, and he distractedly lets his nose lead him towards the dining area. The sight of the table laden with food makes his stomach grumble, and he feels his mouth water._

_“Good morning, Taka! Sit down and eat your breakfast.” The cheerful voice stops Miyuki in his tracks, and he turns his head to stare. A middle-aged woman with short brown hair and a kind face stares back at him. “Taka, what’s wrong? Why are you just standing there?”_

_He must have been staring a long time, and he quickly averts his gaze and approaches the table. He sees a place setting right beside a younger person and thinks it must be his—Takaya’s—younger brother. He pulls up the chair beside him and sits down to eat his breakfast. Miyuki couldn’t help but steal glances at his—Takaya’s—mom as he eats, noting the way she talks gently and excitedly to his—Takaya’s—younger brother. He finds himself mesmerized by her smile and the way her eyes crinkle at the corners when she laughs. Realizing his thoughts, Miyuki shoves the rest of the food quickly into his mouth, swallows everything, then stands and excuses himself from the table._

_With his bag on his shoulder, Miyuki quickly leaves the dining area. Before he could make it out the door, a hand on his shoulder stops him, and he whirls around in surprise. “Taka, slow down. Mou, you’ll get indigestion if you move too quickly right after eating breakfast!”_

_She was shorter than him by several inches, yet Miyuki somehow feels like a small child in front of her. He averts his gaze, afraid that if he stares at her face for too long, he would break down and cry. He lost his own mother at a young age, and he grew up having to fend for himself. This feeling of someone taking care of him is very new and is making him feel very vulnerable._

_A hand lands on his head, and he felt fingers ruffling his hair. Miyuki fights back the tears threatening to fall from his eyes as he feels overwhelmed by emotions. “Ne, Taka, don’t be too grouchy with Mihashi during practice, ok? That poor boy seems so terrified of you.” She laughs softly after that, apparently amused by something Takaya must have done in the past. Miyuki’s heart clenches tightly at the sound, and he remains frozen as she continues to pat his head._

_“Takaya-niisan, why do you have that face?” A small voice to his right comments and Miyuki jerks upright, his cheeks flushed and his eyes watery. He quickly moves away, the hand on his head falling away and his heart clenches painfully as he immediately misses the warmth. “Niisan, I’ll leave you behind if you don’t hurry up.”_

_‘Crap, I don’t know what school I go to or how to get there.’ Miyuki hurriedly puts on his shoes and grabs his bag once more. “Hai, hai!” He calls out as he chases after his—Takaya’s—little brother._

A hand pushes up to his forehead and Miyuki jerks at the sudden contact, his memories fading away as he is brought back to the present.

“You look flushed, and your forehead feels a little warm. Are you feeling ill, Taka?” His mother’s face looks concerned as she touches her hand to his forehead once more. “Mou, this morning you rushed out after breakfast so quickly too. Come on, eat your dinner and then take a bath. Hopefully, that will help cool you down.”

Miyuki lets himself be led to the dining area and be fussed over by his mom. She hovers over him as he eats dinner, talking about Mihashi and their baseball team and then Mihashi’s mom. Then she shifts topics and talks about his dad and Shun, his younger brother. He listens with one ear as he shoves food into his mouth, a smile making its way into his face as a warm, giddy feeling settles into him. He hears the door open and close and voices calling out from the hallway. It sounds like his father and brother have arrived. His mother briefly leaves him to greet them, and Miyuki turns around in his chair to look. As he watches their interaction—his father fondly kissing his mother on the cheek, his brother excitedly talking about his day—he suddenly remembers Sawamura. _This is probably what Sawamura’s family back home is like._ Miyuki continues to watch them, the warm, giddy feeling never leaving him for the rest of the evening.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, kudos and comments are much appreciated.  
> Up next: Abe's POV


	3. This could be good

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Where Mihashi thinks Abe’s laugh is nice and Abe is dumbfounded why touching and caring for his pitcher seems to be so extraordinary.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If Miyuki got mom’d as a result of their body-swap, Abe gets to experience being captain and catcher of a powerhouse school.
> 
> Also, I think that if there are two personalities that are similar and yet so different, it'd be Abe and Miyuki. Where Abe is quite serious most of the time, Miyuki is snarky and a tease; and because of the body-swap, imagine Miyuki as extra sullen, and Abe as more light-hearted. What have I done? Lol.

 

Day 2

Abe opens his eyes and panics when he sees only darkness, then he remembers his predicament, and he calms down. Long fingers reach up to push the eye mask away, and Abe blinks as his eyes refocus. _Damn this guy has horrid eyesight!_ He rubs his eyes as he sits up on the bed. He takes a moment as his eyes adjust to the relative darkness in the room before he stands and heads towards the desk on the far corner. After several tentative steps and a few curse words, his fingers grasp the familiar object. _Ok, now I understand why it was under the pillow when I woke up yesterday._ The room comes into more focus as he puts on his glasses. He then heads out the door, eager to start his day.

The panic he felt yesterday after waking up in a different body ebbed by mid-afternoon, once he found out more about his current surroundings. He is apparently inhabiting the body of one Miyuki Kazuya, catcher and captain of the Seidou baseball team, a powerhouse school in Tokyo. They have over 100 members, who all vie for a position in the first-string roster. Coming from a newly-formed baseball team, Abe couldn’t be more impressed.

While he has never lacked people respecting him or admiring his skills, especially in baseball, there is still something to be said about being captain of such a powerful team. He could tell that the other members of the team regard him with respect, especially the first-years. Not to mention, he has more than one pitcher in his arsenal, and despite his tricky situation, Abe couldn’t help the thrill that runs through him at the prospect of finding out what kind of pitches they throw.

He crosses over to the enormous field—he still couldn’t wrap his head around the fact that they have two fields—and sees a figure running in the distance. He smiles to himself as he remembers this guy from yesterday.

_“Cap, c’mon what are you doing just sitting there?”_

_Abe turns towards the speaker with slight panic in his system. Realizing the other person isn’t going to budge, Abe takes a deep breath and gets up from the bed. He makes mental notes of his surroundings as he follows the other. They seem to be in a dormitory of some sort because he could see other rooms just like his. They end up inside a huge roofed building with various sports equipment on one side. ‘It must be a training gym of sorts,’ Abe looks around and sees pitching nets stationed on one side._

_The guy he is following quickly heads towards a spot, and that’s when Abe sees a familiar looking ball on his left hand. Despite his general confusion since waking up that day, Abe feels relieved knowing that he still gets to play baseball. He takes a step forward only to realize that he hasn’t brought any of his gear. He must have looked lost for a second because the other guys call out to him._

_“Here, catch!” A glove suddenly comes flying towards him, and he catches it in mid-air. “I picked it up on our way out. I figured you wouldn’t have remembered since you’re spacing out and everything.” White teeth flashes at him and Abe finds himself returning the gesture naturally._

_Abe fits the glove in his hand and heads to a spot opposite the other guy. He crouches to position and holds his mitt out in front of him. He watches as the pitcher does a windup and right before releasing the ball, for a split-second, the image of Mihashi flashes before his eyes. Abe gasps in surprise, and he recoils slightly as the ball slams into his mitt._

_“YOSH! That sounded good!” The sound of loud laughter echoes inside the gym and Abe shakes his head to clear his thoughts. He opens his mouth to call out to the pitcher but stops when he realizes that he doesn’t know the other’s name._

_“Oi Sawamura, it’s too early for you to be so damned loud!”_

_“Eijun, what are you doing here? I thought you’d be out in the field running.”_

_Abe turns to look at the newcomers. A green-haired guy strolls in and right behind him is a shorter guy with pink hair. ‘Great, more people whose names I don’t know but I should.’ Panic starts to set in as Abe tries to think of a way out of this mess._

_“KURAMOCHI-SENPAI, HARUCCHI!” The pitcher—‘Sawamura’ his mind supplies—greets just as loudly. “I’m taking advantage of the fact that the captain is free to catch for me, that’s all!”_

_Abe sighs in relief. ‘Thank God for this overly loud pitcher, or else I would be doomed.’ He stands from his crouch. In a tentative voice, he calls out, “I think we should end here for now. I feel like going for a run. Wanna join me?”_

_Sawamura looks surprised for a split-second before he nods and falls into step with him. For some reason, Abe feels the two newcomers’ eyes on them as they leave the indoor gym. ‘What is with those stares? Is it not normal for the catcher and the pitcher to be doing stuff together in this team?’ Before he could continue that train of thought, they arrive at the field and Sawamura starts to babble about other pitchers and who can run more laps. Abe rolls his eyes and thinks this guy is absolutely crazy._

“CAP! CAPTAIN! MIYUKI KAZUYA!”

The shout jolts Abe from his musings, and he finds himself looking at Sawamura. “Stop yelling for crying out loud! I’m not—” Abe shouts and then holds himself back out of habit. He blinks and looks at Sawamura, half expecting the pitcher to cower or run away, but instead, Sawamura merely looks at him with raised eyebrows. _Get a grip, Takaya, this is not Mihashi._ He sighs as he remembers his twitchy pitcher again. Clearing his throat, Abe tries to salvage the situation. “I mean it’s so early, people are still sleeping.”

When Sawamura merely continues to look at him, Abe coughs and then changes his tactic. Slinging an arm around the pitcher, he brings their heads together. “Say, Sawamura, tell me more about your pitches.”

Sawamura pulls back, a questioning look on his face, not to mention a faint dusting of blush on his cheeks. “My—my pitches? Why are you asking about—?”

Abe realizes his blunder but still wonders why the pitcher is blushing. _It’s not like I asked him a very personal question. The battery in this team is so weird._ Abe smiles, trying to ease the other, but it only causes Sawamura’s blush to deepen. _Why is he blushing even more? Is smiling not a thing in this team?_ “Of course I know all about your pitches, I catch them after all.” Abe chuckles, in an attempt to ease the tension in the air. “I mean, which one’s your favorite. Which one do you like to throw the most, or feel most comfortable to throw?”

This seems to pacify the pitcher as understanding dawns in his eyes. Abe stares as golden eyes sparkle in the early morning sun. “The fastball. I like the fastball a lot.” Sawamura says, face splitting into a wide grin. Then his eyes dim slightly, and he looks down. “I know it’s not as fast as Furuya’s but still… I like my fastball.”

 _Furuya?_ Abe thinks for a second and then realizes it must be another pitcher. _We have many pitchers in this team, after all, and if what this guy said yesterday is true, they all seem to depend on me._ For some reason, this brought incredible satisfaction to Abe. Being in-charge of different kinds of pitcher who seem to respect this Miyuki person is something of a fantasy for Abe. His thoughts are interrupted when he sees Sawamura looking downcast. Abe’s eyes soften as he remembers Mihashi. _Unbelievable, a guy like this and he can still be insecure about himself._ “Hey, do me a favor.”

Abe lets go of Sawamura’s neck and stands in front of him. Then he holds up his right hand. “Hold your palm out to me.” Sawamura looks at Abe’s face and then at Abe’s hand, his confusion evident with each passing gaze. Abe’s impatience makes itself known in the furrow of his brows and the terseness in his voice. “Why are you looking like that? We did the same thing yesterday.” _I swear this battery is so weird._

Sawamura reluctantly holds up his hand but doesn’t do anything else. Abe rolls his eyes and presses their palms together. _Well, at least his palms aren’t cold like Mihashi’s typically are._ Sawamura squawks at the contact and his face bursts into a delightful shade of red. Abe’s brows knit together once more in a mixture of confusion and irritation. “Sawamura, listen to me. I’m doing this because it’s important for your hand to not be cold and stiff. Otherwise, you won’t be able to pitch well.” This seems to get the pitcher’s attention, and he stops spluttering and focuses his gaze on Abe. “Your hand tells me that you’re pretty warmed up. What do you say we work on those pitches?”

His words seem to have the desired effect as Sawamura nods enthusiastically at him. Abe lets go of Sawamura’s hand and tells him to grab his gear and meet him at the bullpen.

***

It’s unusually hot that afternoon, the sun seeming to bear down on them with intense heat. Sawamura takes off his cap and wipes the sweat off his forehead with his right arm. He exhales through his mouth as he palms the ball in his hand. He looks at the home plate, where Miyuki is giving him signs. He sees the sign—a changeup—and at the catcher’s splayed fingers, Sawamura suddenly remembers the events of the past two days—of Miyuki casually pressing their palms together.

The sudden memory causes Sawamura’s cheeks to burn as he remembers the careless way in which Miyuki took Sawamura’s hand in his the first time it happened. The strange giddy sensation unfurls within him again, and he feels goosebumps crawl up his arms. Unwilling to continue his train of thought, Sawamura shakes his head repeatedly, momentarily forgetting that he’s about to pitch.

“TIME!” Miyuki’s voice rings out, and a whistle sounds in the distance. Sawamura looks up, and groans as he realizes what he’s done. He watches with trepidation as Miyuki jogs towards him.

“Bakamura, are you even paying attention?” A kick to his backside forces a yell from Sawamura, and he turns around swiftly, anger evident on his face. He quickly wipes the glare off his face when he meets the stern gaze of Kuramochi. “Why are you spacing out?”

Sawamura massages his backside and averts his gaze from his senpai and roommate. _Kuramochi-senpai is too perceptive sometimes._

“Sawamura.” There was no mistaking that slightly nasal voice and Sawamura can’t help but shudder. “Hold out your hand to me.”

He looks up to see that Miyuki has taken off his glove and is holding up his right hand towards him. Unconsciously, Sawamura transfers the ball in his left hand to his glove hand. Then he holds up his hand right in front of Miyuki’s. He swallows as he stares at their hands. Then just like before, Miyuki presses their palms together. Sawamura’s cheeks burn once more like it has done the previous times, and he swallows as his eyes shift from their conjoined hands to Miyuki’s intense gaze.

“HOLY SHIT!” Kuramochi bellows, making him turn to the side. It is only then that Sawamura realizes that his teammates have all gone silent.

Suddenly, he feels warmth leaving his hand, and he turns back to see that Miyuki has withdrawn his hand. Sawamura wonders for a second why this makes him feel like grasping Miyuki’s fingers back into his, but he quickly dispels this thought. He barely hears Miyuki when the latter says, “Well, it seems your hand is warm. You should be ok then.”

“Don’t act so nonchalant about it, you damned tanuki!” Kuramochi bellows once more, and Miyuki looks quizzically at him, brows knitted together and a frown marring his face.

“I have no idea what you are talking about, Kuramochi.”

Sawamura glances from one to the other. An awkward silence descends upon them until Kuramochi sighs and shakes his head. “I’ll never understand your battery.” Miyuki merely raises an eyebrow and turns to leave. Kuramochi’s voice stops him. “Though I’d always known you’d give in one day to your desires. I just wasn’t expecting that you’d do it so blatantly out here in the field.”

Miyuki’s reply comes sharp and fast. “What?”

A whistle sounds signaling the end of the time-out. Miyuki’s brows knit in confusion and he glares at Kuramochi as if silently willing the other to explain himself. Kuramochi meets Miyuki’s gaze head-on, his eyes gleaming with mischief and a teasing smirk playing on his lips. The air thickens with tension, and Sawamura swallows hard.

“Oi, what’s the holdup?” The assistant coach’s voice nearly makes Sawamura jump.

Fortunately, this breaks up the staring match between Miyuki and Kuramochi. Miyuki turns away and jogs back to home plate, and Sawamura watches as the others go back to their respective positions. He sighs, suddenly feeling the energy drain out of him. _What just happened?_ He could feel his heart still thundering in his chest.

A shrill whistle causes his head to snap upwards. His eyes meet the intense gaze of Miyuki, and the larger-than-life mitt held out in front of him. In an instant, the confusion drains out of him as the familiar image calms him. Sawamura straightens and readies to wind up.

“Play ball!”

***

“OUT!”

The crowd roars and Mihashi straightens from his position on the mound.

“Nice ball, Mihashi!”

“Good going, Mihashi!”

The Nishiura baseball team currently has a practice match, and despite the intense heat, there are still quite a number of spectators on the bleachers. Over the din, Mihashi could hear the band playing their school song. “Two outs!” He shouts, his voice raspy but he makes sure his teammates hear him.

He hears a cacophony of response, some echoing his words, others shouting more encouragement.

“Mihashi!” His gaze snaps back to home plate where his catcher, Abe, is waiting to throw the ball back to him. “Nice pitch!”

The ball sails in the air and Mihashi stretches one hand to catch it. He looks back and sees Abe, standing tall and proud, grinning widely at him. Mihashi instantly blushes and goes cat-eyed at seeing this. His hands twitch so badly that he nearly drops the ball. He turns around and clutches the ball to his chest, exhaling through his mouth as he tries to calm himself. _I’ve never_ _seen Abe smile like that. Is he so happy today with my pitching? Abe has a nice smile._

“Mihashi, what’s wrong?” The voice startles Mihashi, and he squeaks. “Oi, Mihashi, are you ok?” He belatedly realizes that Abe has jogged over to him.

 _He’s gonna get mad! He’s gonna get mad at me!_ Putting his arms up over his head, Mihashi peeks tentatively. He sees Abe’s face looming before him, but instead of being scared like he would have previously done, Mihashi straightens up and stares at Abe’s face. _Abe is not angry. He is… concerned?_

The confusion must have been evident on his face because Abe reaches out and puts a hand on his shoulder. He could feel the warmth of Abe’s hand seeping through his uniform, and it comforts him more than anything. “Hey, it’s gonna be ok. We only need one more out, and then we win this game.”

Mihashi nods. “One more out.” He parrots and Abe grins again. Mihashi blushes once more.

Abe seems to pay no heed as he taps Mihashi’s shoulder and then turns to go back to his position. Mihashi watches as Abe pulls down his headgear and the batter steps up to the plate.

 _One more out!_ Mihashi thinks before he takes a sharp intake of breath as he waits for Abe’s signal. He nods and straightens up. He quickly glances at Tajima on third base before his left foot slides forward and he throws the first pitch. The batter swings late but manages to hit the ball. Mihashi looks up, and his gaze follows the ball as it soars into an arc before landing squarely into the waiting mitt of Izumi out on centerfield.

The seconds that pass is punctuated only by the loud thudding of Mihashi’s heart. He turns and looks back at home plate, just in time to see the umpire straighten up and raise a closed fist into the air. “OUT!”

His teammates on the field swarm him immediately. Mihashi’s eyes water as he feels friendly jostling and congratulatory pats on his back. When the others have finished, Mihashi looks up and sees Abe exchanging words with Sakaeguchi. Despite the noise all around him, Mihashi could see the sweat dripping off the side of Abe’s neck and the slight flush in the catcher’s cheeks most likely due to the heat. He continues to stare, mesmerized, at the way Abe’s mouth moves as he speaks, at the slight crease of his eyebrows when he concentrates, and the slight jut of his chin when he’s considering something. Most of all, Mihashi is fascinated with Abe’s smile as it stretches his lips wide and his eyes crinkle in the corners.

“MIHASHI!”

The loud voice startles Mihashi, and he visibly twitches in surprise. A firm hand lands on his shoulder, and he nearly falls forward due to the weight. The commotion must have called out to the others because when Mihashi looks up, he sees several of his teammates are gathered around him. The sound of soft laughter reaches his ears and Mihashi goes cat-eyed again, his mouth forming a small “o”, as he stares wordlessly. _Abe is laughing. Abe has a nice laugh._ Mihashi’s heart starts to beat wildly again in his chest.

Finally, Abe stops laughing, and he realizes that everyone is staring at him. Mihashi looks around and sighs in relief that he isn’t the only one.

“Ne, Abe, you seem less angry these past few days,” Tajima calls out bluntly. Hanai nearly intervenes to shush their oftentimes inappropriately straightforward teammate, but he stops when they see Abe merely smirks at Tajima. Mihashi sighs, relief coursing through him that Abe is not upset until Tajima speaks again. “Did you finally get laid? Is that what caused you to loosen up?”

Hanai covers Tajima’s mouth too late and the latter squirms in indignation while Mihashi nearly faints in shock. Abe takes a moment to digest Tajima’s words before he bursts out laughing once more.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading and I hope you liked it :) Kudos and comments are always appreciated.


	4. At the edge of my emotions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The other shoe drops, and both Abe and Miyuki quickly realize they were better off with their original bodies (and pitchers) than where they have ended up. Is there ever going to be an end to this madness?
> 
> This follows day 3 of the lives of our two beloved catchers (plus everyone else around them, hehe).

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It took me several days to write this chapter (unlike the previous ones) and I think it’s because this is the chapter where both of them realize what a good setup they already have. Please expect a lot of craziness to ensue.
> 
> I hope you like it :-)

 

Day 3

“Good morning, Taka! Come and eat your breakfast.”

It's another day of Miyuki inhabiting this other high schooler’s body, Abe Takaya, a catcher for the Nishiura baseball team in the Saitama prefecture. Since he doesn't know anything about this catcher, much less of their team, Miyuki has been trying to get his hands on whatever information he can get, and then he merely fills in the blanks as he figures things out.

“Morning ‘niisan!” A sleepy voice greets from his left side, and Miyuki looks up to see Shun. He waits patiently for the latter to notice what's amiss. “Mou, stop stealing my food!”

Miyuki smiles to himself. Apparently, Abe often steals food off of his younger brother’s plate, and he has since replicated this hobby after Shun comments on it during his first dinner in their household. “If you aren't such a slowpoke, I wouldn't need to.”

Unable to hide the fondness in his voice, Miyuki reaches out and ruffles his brother's hair. To which Shun responds by swatting his hand away, followed by a pout and a whine to their mother.

Misae laughs and then turns to her son, “That was a great practice game yesterday Taka! I can see Mihashi is pitching really well.”

The memory of their practice game, especially of what happened at the end, brings a flush to his cheeks and the corners of his lips quirk upwards slightly. Tajima Yuuichiro, an incredibly talented member of their team, is quite the character. Miyuki has never met anyone so unbelievably blunt, which comes off as inappropriate most times. _Sawamura comes close, to being blunt that is, but his is more naiveté than anything._ Miyuki suddenly feels homesick at remembering his extremely loud pitcher. He pushes his chair back and stands. “I'll go ahead, ‘kaasan.”

Despite having done this for the past two days, Miyuki still feels unbelievably awkward, and he often finds himself choking on the words. He hurriedly crosses to the _genkan_ to put on his shoes. When he straightens up, he sees his mother standing behind him.

“Take care at school, Taka! Remember to be gentle with Mihashi!” He stares wordlessly as his mother leans forward and plants a kiss on his forehead. “I've really enjoyed watching you yesterday, I'm glad to see you enjoying baseball.”

Miyuki clenches his jaw tightly, the lump in his throat making it difficult to swallow. He can't even remember the last time his father came to one of his games; so imagine his surprise when, during the game, he remembers hearing someone shout his name and when he looks up, he sees his mother grinning at him and cheering him on. He remembers feeling his heart constrict tightly in his chest and tears threaten to fall from his eyes. He remembers pushing Abe's body to the limit—applying what information he has gleaned in the past few days about the catcher’s capabilities—in order to score a run. He remembers feeling foolish afterward, but when he arrives home that night, his mother greets him and tells him that she has cooked Abe's favorite meal to celebrate.

“You're making that weird face again, ‘niisan!”

The voice jolts him, and Miyuki quickly pulls back as he steps away from his mother's embrace. _It's Abe's mom, not yours_ , he reminds himself as he raises a hand to wave goodbye and then turns to leave. With each step away from Abe's household, Miyuki reminds himself that this isn't his family, and no matter how warm he feels every time he sees them, there is no sense to believe this is truly his life.

 _Besides, I have to get back to Sawamura, who knows how much that idiot is overexerting himself in my absence._ Miyuki’s lips quirk upwards while thinking of his pitcher, his steps just a tad lighter as he continues his walk towards the school.

***

Sawamura sighs part in bliss and part in resignation as he sinks lower into the hot bathwater. He leans his head back and rests it against the cold tiles, the contrast in temperature surprisingly working to soothe his nerves. Oh, and what a nerve-wracking day it has been. Groaning loudly now that's he’s left alone in the baths, Sawamura shuts his eyes as he tries to relax, willing the recollections of this crazy day out of his mind.

He very nearly falls asleep when he hears the doors slide open. He feels a pickling sensation, and he cringes inwardly as he opens his eyes to check the newcomer. _Please, please, let it not be…_

“Yo, Sawamura!”

Relief courses through Sawamura when he sees who it is.

Kuramochi looks at Sawamura quizzically. “Why do you look as if you've just escaped death?” He lowers himself into the tub, pausing slightly as he lets his body adjust to the temperature. “Are you that relieved to see me? Kyaha!” Since he already knows what's causing his kouhai’s unusual behavior, Kuramochi is merely milking this experience for what it's worth.

“Geh! I'm just glad it's not that four-eyed tanuki—”

The sound of the door sliding open stops Sawamura mid-sentence, the hairs at the back of his neck standing on end. “Oi, Kuramochi, you left your shirt hanging out of the bin!”

“Guwaaah!” In his shock, Sawamura falls sideways, and his head nearly goes under water. He squawks and flounders as he tries to regain his balance and his hand tries to push his body back into an upright position.

Abe quickly steps into the tub, hand outstretched to help his teammate. “Oi, Sawamura, how long have you been in the water?”

The sudden presence causes Sawamura to freeze, and he quickly scoots away. “Mi—Miyuki-senpai…” He tries to avert his gaze from the catcher.

In the background, Kuramochi is laughing his head off. Abe looks at him with a raised eyebrow and then at Sawamura, who has been acting very suspiciously since that afternoon. When Kuramochi simply continues to laugh while Sawamura remains silent on the far end of the tub, Abe sighs and wills himself not to get angry. _I swear he's acting like Mihashi!_ Thinking about his twitchy pitcher reminds Abe of his own team, and he sighs as he feels a sudden pang of sadness. “Sawamura, you shouldn't stay too long in the water. You could get sick.”

“Listen to your captain, Sawamura!” Kuramochi calls out from his spot against one end of the wall, the teasing tone in his voice all too clear. Sawamura grumbles something that sounds suspiciously like ‘mind your own business,’ but it’s too low for Kuramochi to hear. “What's that, did you say something, Bakamura?”

“I said I'm not a little kid, stop treating me like one!”

Kuramochi laughs. “Did you hear that, Captain?”

Abe sighs and wills himself to remain calm. He could sense that Kuramochi is teasing him—like he knows something that Abe doesn't—but he lets it slide.

“I'll stop treating you like a kid when you stop acting like one!” Abe finally settles down on the water and crosses his arms in front of his chest. “You overwork yourself too much, someone needs to keep an eye on you.”

Kuramochi lets out a bark of laughter. “Kyahaha, right, right! Of course, the captain is the perfect candidate for this.” He stares at the catcher as he says this, a playful smirk on his lips.

Abe nods in agreement despite the uncanny feeling that there's more to Kuramochi’s words than he lets on.

Meanwhile, Sawamura squawks in indignation. “Well, you're overdoing it! Stop hovering over me while I'm eating!”

Abe frowns, momentarily confused why this seems to be an issue. _I monitor Mihashi's overall health. Isn't that what a good catcher does for their battery?_

“You even check how much water I drink, or whether I've lost any weight.” Sawamura continues his tirade, cheeks flushed red from his emotions or the bathwater, no one could really tell. “It's like you suddenly turned into my mom!”

Abe could feel a nerve twitching in his temple at hearing Sawamura's complaints. “I'm the other half of this battery, I don't see anything wrong in what I'm doing.” Abe pauses to glare at Sawamura. “You should just accept it, Furuya does. I don't see him complaining. In fact, the other day, Furuya came up to me to volunteer his own information.”

Silence descends upon the three boys. Kuramochi looks on in unabashed interest. Abe stares as Sawamura's cheeks flush so red, he is momentarily concerned that the other might self-combust. He nearly yields to reach out when Sawamura lets out an inhuman growl. “Furuya, Furuya, Furuya. You're always praising Furuya, I'm sick of it.”

With a loud splash, Sawamura rises from the water and steps out of the tub. There is only the sound of his wet feet as they track water along the bath tiles. He pauses before sliding the door open. “If you'll be so inclined, _captain_ , I'll be going to sleep. I hope you have no complaints about that.” Then he slides the door open and vanishes out of sight.

Abe looks on wordlessly, a pained expression on his face until Kuramochi’s voice breaks the silence.

“Now you've done it.” Kuramochi slides deeper into the water, resting his head against the cool tile. He looks across to the other person in the tub, noting the confused expression on their face. “Miyuki, what's up with you lately?”

Abe tears his gaze from the door and looks at Kuramochi. “What do you mean? Have I done something extraordinarily weird?”

Kuramochi sighs. “You know how Sawamura is when it comes to his rivalry with Furuya.” When he doesn't hear any response from the other, Kuramochi continues. “Lately, you've also been hovering over Sawamura more. What's up with that?”

“Is it not normal for the catcher to be concerned about their pitcher? I've done the same for all of them, not just Sawamura.” Abe pauses and his brows furrow as he thinks. “I don't know if the others feel the same though—,” He trails off and tries to remember how the other pitchers have reacted in the past few days.

“Well Sawamura isn't used to getting a lot of attention from you, so he's probably confused, or he thinks you're up to something.”

Abe’s head snaps to Kuramochi’s face in an instant. “Seriously? What in the world is this Miyuki—I mean me!—what have I been doing then?”

Kuramochi raises an eyebrow at that outburst but refrains from commenting on it. “If you're telling me you seriously don't know, then I'm in no mood to enlighten you. I'm just here to enjoy the show.”

Abe wisely chooses not to respond to Kuramochi’s statement. He slides himself lower into the water. _This battery is more and more confusing by the day._

Later that evening, Abe finds Sawamura in the indoor practice gym, pitching to the net. He watches for a few minutes before he decides to call out to the pitcher.

Sawamura visibly startles, but Abe quickly distracts the pitcher with an offer to catch. Abe realizes the only way to take off Sawamura's suspicions is to show him that Abe is genuinely interested in his pitches. _That's not hard to do at all, Sawamura has the most interesting pitches._

After a few throws, Sawamura straightens up. “Captain, why—why are you doing this?”

Abe looks up from his crouch and notices the painfully hopeful expression on Sawamura's face. _Damn this Miyuki person, what have you been doing?_ “I'm the catcher of this team, do I need any other reason to practice with you?”

The expression on Sawamura's face clears up at hearing his words. He smiles and nods, his body getting into position to pitch again.

***

“Mihashi, what do you want us to work on next?”

“That's up to you, Abe-kun!”

“OK, how about we work on your control when you try to pitch at full power?”

Mihashi nods and gets into position.

Miyuki crouches back down at home plate and signals. He watches Mihashi wind up and throw the ball, and his hands feel the impact of the ball as it lands on his mitt. The control isn't as perfect as with Mihashi's slower pitches, but it's still good enough to be used during games. Miyuki smiles and throws the ball back to Mihashi. “Nice ball, Mihashi. One more.”

The redness that blossoms across the pitcher's face evokes a chuckle out of Miyuki. _At least he's not so twitchy now, unlike the past few days._ As he crouches down again and waits for the ball, Miyuki remembers how Mihashi would cower before the catcher whenever he thinks he's done something wrong. Miyuki has since learned that this Abe person gets typically short-tempered with Mihashi, further making the already twitchy pitcher more nervous.

The ball slams into his mitt, this time closer to the intended location. _His control is still weak with the faster pitches, but that can be improved with lots of practice._ “Ok, this one is even better than the last one. Keep it up!” Miyuki calls out as he throws the ball back.

Mihashi nods enthusiastically, his cheeks still red and his eyes shining brightly.

The next pitch gets hit, and Miyuki stands as he watches the ball soar into the sky. Luckily, Hanai catches it near the edge of the right side of the foul line. Mihashi starts panicking on the mound. Miyuki looks at him, and for a split-second, the image of an incensed and scowling Sawamura superimposes itself on Miyuki’s mind. He smiles wryly as he realizes that if Sawamura were the one pitching now, he would definitely fuss about that last pitch in much louder tones.

He then realizes that over the past few days, Miyuki has experienced relative silence; for some reason, this thought unsettles him. _Don't tell me I'm missing that loud-mouthed idiot._ His features might have morphed into displeasure because Mihashi suddenly becomes cat-eyed and twitchy, which causes the others to run up to him to ask him what's wrong. Seeing the commotion on the mound, Miyuki quickly makes his way to Mihashi as thoughts about Sawamura continue to swirl in his mind.

“Oi, Abe, don't start yelling at Mihashi. That's not his fault.”

Miyuki's head snaps towards Tajima who is looking at him intensely. That's when he notices Mihashi, who is hiding behind Tajima. _Why does this seem familiar? Oh right, this happened the other day too._

“I wasn't gonna yell, you know. I came up here because I saw you all approach Mihashi.” Miyuki explains, clearing his mind and setting aside his thoughts about his loud-mouthed pitcher back in Seido.

Silence descends upon the group and Miyuki looks around at his teammates’ faces. “Ehhh, that's new Abe. You're not yelling.” Tajima breaks the silence, and his face takes on an excited look. “I knew it! You really did get—mmrrfff!”

They all look as Tajima’s words are muffled by Hanai’s hands. “Ehehe, that's great isn't it, Abe? I think it's great, you're trying to control your temper better around Mihashi.” Hanai says, hands still covering Tajima’s mouth.

 _Seriously, how violent does this Abe person get anyway?_ Miyuki sighs and shakes his head. “Right. Ok, let's get back to practice.”

Miyuki feels a tug on his sleeve, and he looks up to see Mihashi clutching at his uniform.

“A—Abe-kun is nice. E—Even when he gets angry. I—I will work harder to improve my control.” Mihashi’s eyes dart between his face and the ground, and Miyuki finds the entire thing cute. _This Abe person doesn't stand a chance against this cuteness. I swear, I think this is the reason he is probably angry half the time. He's probably feeling frustrated._

The hand on his sleeve falls away, and Miyuki turns to face Mihashi fully. Then he lifts his left hand and pats Mihashi's head gently. “You're already doing so well, Mihashi. Have some more confidence in yourself, ok?”

Mihashi peers up at him, his eyes gleaming with hope as a blush adorns his cheeks.

For a split-second, Miyuki imagines Sawamura being meek like this and the thought brings unexpected heat to his cheeks and to his body. He visibly shakes the image off of his mind as he turns around to return to home plate. _Now, why did I just think that?_ He casts the distracting thoughts aside as he wills himself to concentrate on practice.

***

Day 4

“FURUYA! COME BACK HERE WITH MY TIRE!”

Abe groans and grits his teeth. Between the loud-mouthed southpaw pitcher and the monster rookie constantly demanding that he catch for them, he never finds any free time to think about how to reverse his current situation, hence his decision to hide in one of the equipment sheds.

Sure he’d been impressed the first few days of being captain and catcher of a big team, and a Tokyo powerhouse school no less; however, after 4 days, the novelty has worn off, and he wishes for nothing more than to be back in Nishiura.

 _To be back with Mihashi_. Abe groans again as he realizes how much he misses the silence.

“Oi, Miyuki, I know you’re in here!”

The door slams open and Abe looks up to see their shortstop standing on the doorway of the equipment shed. _Kuramochi Youichi_ , Abe repeats the name in his head.

Kuramochi looks at him and quirks an eyebrow. “You look even more pissed off than usual. Kyahaha! What did Bakamura do this time?”

 _Bakamura? Oh, he probably meant Sawamura._ Abe frowns and wonders why the people in this team seem to be in a constant state of rivalry. “He didn’t do anything, and I’m not upset with him.” Abe sighs. “Why do you automatically assume it’s him?”

“Is that a trick question? Only Sawamura gets you like this.” Kuramochi replies instantaneously, as he steps into the shed and inspects a crate of balls.

Abe watches him warily. “Pissed off?”

“Frustrated.” Kuramochi looks back at him, mirth dancing in his eyes. “What did he do, Miyuki?”

Outside they could hear others moving about. Classes have just ended so there aren’t a lot of people out in the field yet. Abe averts his gaze and releases a long, drawn-out sigh. “I told you he didn’t do anything. He’s just… very insistent. I don’t get it.”

Kuramochi guffaws beside him and Abe’s cheeks redden. “Miyuki, c’mon. You know that out of everyone, it’s your acknowledgment that he seeks out the most, right?”

“See, I don’t get that. He’s already quite capable. Why does he need me to validate this?” Even as the words leave Abe’s mouth, he remembers a very similar pitcher back in Saitama, and the memory causes a twinge in his heart, making him miss his hometown even more.

A strange look passes Kuramochi’s face, and Abe nearly misses it. The shortstop shakes his head and turns away as he mutters, “You tell me, Miyuki.”

Realizing he can’t hide in the shed forever, Abe stands and dusts the seat of his pants. He’s just about to step out of the shed, right behind Kuramochi, when the doors burst open once more.

“CAPTAIN, THERE YOU ARE!”

Abe sighs and shakes his head in resignation. Kuramochi merely laughs at the spectacle. After clearing up the misunderstanding over his seemingly doting attention to the pitcher, Sawamura suddenly seems to be everywhere. As he follows the pitcher out into the field, Abe remembers their conversation earlier that day.

_His body jerks into consciousness, his mind momentarily groggy as his brain tries to catch up to the present. He pieces together the information from the past few days, and he freezes as he anticipates the sound. When he hears the loud knocking from the door, he groans and sits up grumpily, hand reaching under the pillow for his glasses. He stays seated on the edge of the bed, inhaling mouthfuls of air—a relaxation technique from Shiga-sensei—as he puts on his glasses._

_After a few seconds, the door opens, and Sawamura walks in. “Good morning, Cap!”_

_Abe inhales deeply for one last time before he gets up and follows the pitcher. “Why do you keep doing this every day? I can wake up by myself you know.” He asks when they arrive on the field._

_Sawamura turns to him with a bright smile. Against the early rays of the morning sun, the pitcher's eyes glow golden, and this distracts Abe momentarily, so much that he doesn’t hear the pitcher’s response._

_“Geh! You weren't listening to me!” Sawamura grumbles, the features of his face contorting into a scowl. “I said, if I don't wake you up, you'd oversleep again. Besides—,”_

_Abe waits for the rest, but the pitcher beside him remains quiet. “Besides—what?”_

_Sawamura furtively glances at him, and Abe sees a tell-tale blush on his cheeks. “Besides, this way, I'll have you all to myself.”_

_The silence around them is broken only by the occasional chirping of a bird. Abe looks on with surprise at Sawamura, whose face currently resembles a fully-ripened tomato._

_“Oi, you two lovebirds, it's too early in the day. If you're not gonna practice, go do your lovey-dovey stuff somewhere else.”_

_Sawamura squawks in surprise as Kuramochi passes between them. “THAT'S NOT—WE'RE NOT—,” the words coming out of Sawamura's mouth are barely coherent. “WE WEREN'T DOING ANYTHING!”_

_Abe merely shakes his head as Sawamura continues his tirade. ‘God, he can be really loud! Thank heavens, Mihashi isn't like this at all.’ The thought of his own pitcher back in Nishiura brings a pang of sadness once more. Abe’s fists clench as he realizes how much he wants to go back to his own body._

“CAPTAIN! MIYUKI KAZUYA!”

Abe’s head snaps towards the voice, and he sees stormy, brown eyes. He belatedly realizes that he hasn't been paying attention and he inwardly cringes at the shouting that he knows is about to ensue.

Surprisingly, Sawamura merely looks at him with concern. “You've been spacing out lately, Cap, is everything OK with you?”

“Don't worry about it, let's go work on your pitches,” Abe replies, willing himself to push thoughts of Mihashi from his mind. He is several feet away when he realizes that Sawamura hasn't been following. He looks back to see still Sawamura standing on the same spot, an unreadable expression on his face.

“Are you not getting enough sleep because I wake you up so early every day?”

The hesitation in the pitcher's voice and his suddenly timid countenance remind Abe so much of Mihashi. He looks fondly at Sawamura, “Baka! I'm just thinking of a lot of things. If you've time to worry about me, worry more about your control!”

Even though there's no real venom in Abe’s tone, Sawamura still reacts in his usual fashion. “Geh! I wasted time being concerned for you!” Then the pitcher stomps away while Abe looks on with a smile.

 _I bet Miyuki just enjoys riling this one up all the time._ Thinking about how this battery probably interacts with each other on a daily basis reminds Abe once more of Mihashi. The thought wipes the smile off his face, and he follows Sawamura to the bullpen with a heavy heart.

***

It's late in the afternoon, and the students are all packing their bags and preparing to go home. Miyuki is just about ready to go when the door to their classroom slides open and an excited Tajima pops in.

“Oi, Abe, a bunch of us are going to Mihashi's. Do you want to come with us?”

Miyuki couldn't respond for a few seconds—he would really rather not go but he doesn't have any viable excuse—so he shrugs to cover the delay in his response. “I guess I could.”

When Tajima simply continues to stand in his spot, Miyuki pauses and looks at him. Tajima clears his throat, “Ne, Abe, aren't you going to ask your mom first if it's ok?”

His eyes widen when he realizes what he has done, and he quickly averts his gaze. “Ye—yeah, of course. Mom knows Mihashi so it should be ok. I’ll send her a text message on the way.”

Tajima seems pacified with this response. “Oh, ok then. Let's go!”

Miyuki follows Tajima out the door and heaves a sigh. He can't remember the last time he had to ask permission from his father for anything to do with school or baseball, so he's a little rusty in that aspect. A pang of sadness twists his heart as he pulls out Abe's phone and sends Abe's mom a message. The reply arrives almost instantly, and Miyuki stares at it for a few seconds before pocketing the phone once more.

They meet up with the others near the school gate; they don't have baseball practice this afternoon because both Momoe-sensei and Shiga-sensei have personal errands to attend to. Hence no one can supervise their team. Mihashi lives near the border between Gunma and Saitama, so the commute is a bit far. While on the way, Miyuki tries to talk to the shy and twitchy pitcher. “Why do you like pitching so much?”

Despite the pitcher's usually shy and timid demeanor, Miyuki could see Mihashi's eyes gleam at the mention of pitching. “Be—because I get to stand on the mound. A—And I get to be the ace.”

Miyuki nearly laughs out loud—Mihashi's response is very similar to a loud-mouthed southpaw back in Seido. “You like being the ace, huh?”

Mihashi nods enthusiastically. Then as if remembering a painful memory, his features dim and he plays with his hands on his lap. “Bu—But  I can only be Ace here because of Abe-kun. A—As long as Abe-kun catches for me, I can continue to be Ace. That's why… I will never shake Abe-kun’s sign.”

“Really?” Miyuki doesn’t even try to hide the incredulity in his voice. Mihashi nods fervently as if assuring him that he will never shake of his signs. “What if you disagree with my game-calling?” Miyuki’s tone of voice is hard all of a sudden.

A small ‘eep!’ escapes from Mihashi and he slouches further down in his seat. “I—I promised Abe-kun that I will never shake his signs.”

Miyuki looks at the fear in Mihashi's wide eyes and realizes that he must be looking angry again, which is probably making the pitcher feel afraid. He sighs. “Calm down, I'm not angry.”

They continue the rest of the journey in silence. Miyuki thinks about the strangeness of his situation—he remembers wishing on many occasions for the pitchers on his team to get better control, and yet now that he is catching for one, he still feels as if something's lacking. He thinks of Sawamura again and compares him once more to Mihashi—where in the past, he has told Sawamura to just trust in his mitt, it has not stopped the southpaw from still asking him about certain pitches he was asked to throw after each of their games. _While Sawamura would definitely benefit from getting the level of control that Mihashi has, and while I definitely don’t want my pitchers shaking off my signs, there’s just something about Sawamura’s persistence and determination to understand game-calling that I find… interesting._ Miyuki surprises himself with his last thought. He looks out the window at the passing scenery and wonders if he would be back to his body when he wakes up tomorrow.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kudos and comments are always appreciated! :-) Thank you for reading!


	5. If you let me try

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> What was that saying? Be careful what you wish for because you just might get it? Miyuki and Abe find out the hard way.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok this took a while to publish because of the exchange, but here it is finally.   
> THANK YOU FOR BEING PATIENT <3 <3 <3  
> I just wanna thank everyone who has supported this story so far and who has chosen to keep updated.  
> I'm sorry for not posting for a while and I hope you like this new chapter!

 

 

Day 5

_Miyuki could feel his heart beating loudly in his chest. The crowd cheers around the stadium, but it sounds muted to his ears. A bead of sweat rolls down the side of his face. He wants to wipe it away, but his hands feel heavy, weighted. He stares forward and sees blazing, golden eyes. The rhythm his heart is pounding intensifies. He watches the pitcher exhale and relax his body. Miyuki’s hand twitch in anticipation of the ball about to come his way. The pitcher before him winds up and Miyuki inhales as he prepares himself for the idiosyncratic break, but it doesn't come—the ball flies towards him directly, and he frowns in confusion._

_THWUMP!_

The sound of the ball hitting his mitt jolts Miyuki from his thoughts. He looks down and feels the weight of the ball nestled inside his glove. He looks up, but instead of unruly brown hair, he sees a mop of blonde curls. A wave of disappointment washes over him.

“Nice pitch, Mihashi!” He yells as he stands to throw the ball back to the pitcher. “One more!”

Miyuki gets back to position, holding his mitt out in front of him; yet he feels something amiss. _What am I doing? I’ve always wanted a pitcher with good control, and Mihashi has perfected his._ As the ball lands inside his mitt once again, Miyuki realizes what the problem is—it’s getting predictable.

“Ok, last one, Mihashi!” As Miyuki crouches down once more, there is only one thought in his mind. _This has gotta stop, but how?_ As he mulls over his options, he hears a loud yell from the side.

“HANAI! What did we talk about earlier? Make sure your voice could be heard by your teammates!”

Miyuki takes the momentary distraction to stare at their coach. An idea forms in his mind.

***

“So, you’re telling me that we should get a practice game with—,” Momoe taps her fingers on the table idly, “—Seido, is it?”

Miyuki meets the steely gaze head-on and wills himself not to flinch lest he gives himself away. _Damn, she’s even scarier than Coach Kataoka!_ He nods slowly, not wanting to appear too eager.

Momoe continues to stare at him with unblinking eyes, and Miyuki could feel himself sweat through his uniform. Finally, she relents and looks away. Miyuki nearly sighs in relief but manages to keep himself in check. “I admire your guts, Abe, I really do!” Momoe looks back at him, a hint of uncertainty in her eyes. “But Seido is a seeded team in Tokyo, getting a practice game with them this late would be nearly impossible. We’re not exactly a team that can challenge them, you know.”

Feelings of shame and guilt wash over Miyuki; Momoe’s words ring with truth and he can’t help but agree. _If I were back in Seido, I know for a fact that the coach wouldn’t even look twice_. Still, he has an agenda to carry on. “You should still try. They have an assistant coach there named Takashima Rei. I heard that she’s always on the lookout for interesting teams to practice with.”

At the mention of a female assistant coach, one of Momoe’s eyebrows quirks upwards. Miyuki doesn’t miss the cue and takes advantage of it. “If you call her, tell her to ask their captain Miyuki Kazuya’s opinion.”

The steely gaze is back in Momoe’s eyes, and Miyuki is suddenly afraid he has given away too much. “How do you know so much about this team?”

Knowing that Momoe wouldn’t call if he doesn’t give a satisfactory reply, Miyuki wracks his brain for a good excuse. He scratches his head absent-mindedly, unaware that the action causes Momoe’s gaze to soften. “Well, they recently represented Tokyo during the Spring Koushien.” He steals a glance at Momoe and inwardly sighs in relief at the change in her features. _Man, it’s lucky that she seems to like this Abe person._ “And, uh, Miyuki has been featured a lot in Monthly Baseball, so I know a lot about him.”

“Drat!” Momoe huffs as she crosses her arms over her ample chest. “They’re that good, huh?” Her voice drops to a near whisper as she stares unseeing at the now empty field.

Miyuki deflates at her words—it seems his tactics are backfiring on him. He’s about to say something when Momoe suddenly jumps to her feet.

“Yosh!!! I’m going to call this Takashima person and get us a practice game! This is gonna be exciting!!!”

He stares for a few moments at the image of their coach, and maybe Miyuki is just tired but he swears Momoe looks like she’s sparkling. Miyuki heaves a huge sigh of relief; his shoulders sag and his body goes slack. He feels absolutely drained. _Convincing her to call Rei-san was more tiring than practice_.

***

Abe knocks on the door before sliding it open. “Takashima-san, you called for me?”

The woman seated by the table looks up and beckons for Abe to come in. “Miyuki! Yes, come in.”

He steps into the office and closes the door behind him.

“I got a call earlier today from someone called Momoe Maria, who coaches a newly-formed team over at the Saitama prefecture and—Miyuki, are you alright?”

Unable to hide his reaction, Abe’s eyes unknowingly widen at the mention of his coach’s name. “Sorry, uh, I thought I saw someone by the window.”

Takashima turns and looks behind her shoulder. “I don’t see anything.”

Abe clears his throat. “Oh, it’s probably nothing. Sorry, Takashima-san, you were saying about a call—?”

Takashima stares at Abe for a moment—her eyes boring into his—and Abe feels like his very soul is being x-rayed. He gulps but doesn’t say anything. Takashima fixes her glasses. “Yes, someone wants to schedule a practice match with us, but I’m not sure if it’s worth our time. They seem to be a fairly new team.”

Abe waits for the rest of what Takashima wants to say, but when the next few seconds pass in silence, he clears his throat, “Saitama? That seems pretty far from here… which team did they say they were?”

“Nishiura.” Despite being prepared to hear the name, Abe’s heart still flutters when he does. He keeps quiet and waits for Takashima to continue. “I don’t know, Miyuki, I’ve been to Saitama to scout some teams before, but I’ve never heard of Nishiura.”

In the midst of Takashima’s explanation, Abe begins to wonder where Coach Momoe has gotten the idea to call Seido. _No, it’s not Momokan. It’s definitely that other catcher._ His brows furrow at this realization, and he puzzles over why the other catcher would suddenly do something like this. _Could it be that he wants us to meet? Maybe he has figured out how to swap our bodies back?_ Lost in his own thoughts, Abe doesn’t realize that Takashima has been staring at him until she calls out his name. He looks up and blinks, trying hard to remember the last thing she has said.

Takashima’s voice is even when she speaks, though her eyes remain fixed on him. “Maybe I should say no. I mean Coach Kataoka is likely not to agree anyway.”

_No, no, we need this practice game!_ Abe frantically tries to think of a way to make Takashima interested in this practice match. “Well, we’ve never played them before. It could be good practice for us to play another team whose information is unknown to us.”

He sees Takashima’s eyes flicker with interest as she considers his statement. _I need more. I need something to bait her with._ An idea pops into his mind, and he goes with it before he loses his nerve. “You know I vaguely recall hearing about a pitcher with perfect control in Saitama. I’m just not sure which school exactly.” Then Abe makes a show of trying to recall that particular memory. In the corner of his eyes, he sees Takashima still staring at him, though there is less suspicion in her gaze.

Suddenly she pulls open a drawer and takes out a notebook. She quickly rifles through the pages and then stops when she finds what she’s looking for. She runs a finger down the length of the paper before she stops at a line. She taps the page as if confirming her own thoughts. “I did go to Gunma once and watched a game. There was nothing special about it, but I remembered the pitcher well.” Then she looks up at Abe. “It would seem his teammates weren’t aware, but their pitcher has perfect control. I watched him throw exactly where the catcher’s mitt is positioned.”

Hearing Takashima talk about Mihashi makes Abe’s heart skip a beat. The intensity of the feeling, along with its suddenness, confuses him; he quickly dismisses it and attributes it to the fact that he has been missing his team. A swell of pride rises within him as Takashima continue to describe Mihashi and his pitching prowess. He catches himself, feeling confused once more. _Then again, a talent scout from a seeded team in Tokyo has noticed Mihashi’s talent—it shouldn’t be wrong for me to be proud of that, right?_

He shakes off the feelings and focuses on Takashima’s words. He tries to act nonchalant in his response. “Gunma, huh? Maybe it’s not the same pitcher then.” Abe pauses for a few seconds before adding, “Though if it were, imagine how that would rile up our pitchers, not to mention shake the confidence of our batters.” He smirks for good measure; he has learned over the past few days the finer points of this catcher’s personality.

Takashima looks at him and then nods. “Alright, I’ll talk to Coach Kataoka and try to arrange a practice match. They wanted it to be this weekend, though I guess that’s as good a time as any.”

Despite himself, Abe smiles; though he tries hard to contain his glee. While he has enjoyed his time as captain and catcher of a seeded Tokyo team, he greatly misses his own team. He misses his pitcher. At the thought of Mihashi, Abe’s brows furrow slightly. _I swear, if he has neglected his health in the short time I wasn’t there, I’m going to—_

“They seem to know you.”

The words feel like cold ice being poured down his back. Abe goes very still as he looks at Takashima. He opens his mouth to try to explain, but his brain couldn’t come up with a good explanation.

“It seems the catcher on their team is a big fan of you, following your interviews in Monthly Baseball and all.”

The tension that drains out of his body is so palpable that Abe’s shoulders visibly droop at Takashima’s words. _Damn, I nearly got myself caught that time!_ Straightening up and acting as if he’s merely tired from training, he scratches the back of his head and clears his throat, “Um, if that’s all Takashima-san, I’ll go ahead.”

He turns and leaves the office. After sliding the door close, Abe lets out a huge sigh. His right hand reaches up and touches the spot where his heart is. _Man, that was nerve-wracking!_

***

“And Miyuki said yes?”

Takashima nods, as she crosses her arms and assumes her usual pose. “He seems to recall a pitcher with perfect control playing in the Saitama prefecture, though my notes place the pitcher in Gunma.”

Kataoka looks at her, his dark eyes not giving away any hints as to his thoughts about the suggested practice game.

She quite understands the hesitation. Despite the talk with Miyuki earlier that afternoon, she remains perplexed as to why this seemingly unknown team from another prefecture suddenly calls them up and requests for a practice game. She can only think of a couple of possibilities. One, they simply want a challenge. Two, they are confident they can win and wants to shake Seido’s confidence—which means they have a secret weapon. Three, they know something about Seido—either their pitching relay or their batting lineup—and wants to confirm it. In any of these scenarios, Takashima is confident that Seido can likewise glean important information which would help their team. She decides to help Kataoka make a decision.

“Whatever their reason for wanting this game, it can’t be bad for us.”

Kataoka narrows his eyes but doesn’t say anything. Pushing her glasses up the bridge of her nose, Takashima continues. “Besides, they are in Saitama—we will not be revealing anything they can use for the qualifying matches. If we both get to Koushien, then at least we would already have an idea of what their team is like.”

Kataoka considers her words for a few minutes before nodding his approval. “Ok, schedule the practice match.”

Takashima smiles, glad that she is able to sway the Head Coach’s mind. She stands to leave but then turns back to the Head Coach. “Do you know who you’ll start the game with?”

Kataoka pauses for a moment before he responds, “Sawamura.”

 

 

Day 6

Outside it is still dark—the sun is barely peeking over the horizon—and the neighborhood is silent, save for the occasional cawing of some stray birds. Inside Abe’s room, Miyuki’s eyes are wide open as he lays in bed and stares at the ceiling. He has woken up earlier than usual. He watches with fascination as slivers of light slowly make their way into the room, suffusing everything in soft light and making things appear clearer and in focus.

He chuckles as he thinks about the ribbing he would’ve gotten back in Seido. _Heh! Sawamura would have a field day if he finds out I woke up before sunrise or before my alarm went off._ The thought brings warmth to Miyuki, and he smiles indulgently, enjoying the quiet as he lays motionless on the bed. He muses about the past few days and how he has gone from being excited to becoming bored pretty fast.

Brows furrowing slightly, he reflects back on his predicament and about the pitcher in the Nishiura team. Mihashi has absolute perfect control and he has always wanted to pair up with such a pitcher. But there is this nagging feeling at the back of his head as if he were missing something crucial. _But what?_ Miyuki exhales heavily and decides to get up and start his day; his earlier peaceful mood suddenly gone.

His phone lights up just as he has grabbed a fresh set of clothes for the day. He picks it up and sees a message from their captain announcing the practice game tomorrow with Seido.

Miyuki smiles in the relative darkness. _Oh, I can’t wait to strike out Mochi and Zono tomorrow!_ He chuckles thinking of his fellow third-years’ ire once they get a taste of Mihashi’s perfect control. _Who am I kidding, what I really want to see is the look on the loud-mouthed idiot’s face._ A warm feeling bubbles up inside him, causing his grin to widen as he reads the rest of the message from their captain. _Heh! I can’t wait to see the idiot tomorrow!_

He replaces the phone back on his bedside table and grabs his clothes on his way out the door, humming slightly, a smile still playing on his lips.

“Good morning Taka! My, you seem to be in a good mood today!”

Miyuki merely beams at his—Abe’s—mother and returns the greeting before making his way to the bathroom, missing the look of fondness on Abe’s mother’s face.

***

“Miyuki!”

Abe turns and then flinches inwardly at his knee-jerk response. _I can’t believe I’m automatically responding to that name as if it were really mine._ He shakes his head to clear his thoughts. He looks up to see one of his teammates running down the stairs. “Kuramochi, what is it?”

Kuramochi pauses on the last step and stares at him. He slowly makes his way towards Abe, a puzzled look on his face.

For some reason, this makes Abe uncomfortable, as if he is under scrutiny. He clears his throat. “What?”

Kuramochi stares unblinkingly at him for a few more seconds and then stops a few feet away. “I just went to see the coach, and he said there’ll be a practice game tomorrow. Some team from Saitama or something.”

The strange feeling doesn’t leave, and Abe composes himself before he responds. “Yeah, I heard.”

“‘ _You heard’_ my ass. Coach told me that you seem to know this team.”

Abe counts to ten in his head to calm himself down. _It’s just one more day. One more day, and then I’ll be back to my own body. Maybe. Hopefully._ He schools his features and projects the most chilling stare he could manage as he looks Kuramochi straight in the eye. “Who said I knew them?” Abe shrugs for good measure, but it’s really more for his nerves than anything. “I only said I heard about a pitcher with perfect control in that area, and that it’d be good practice for us. I mean, we have to improve our batting lineup, you know?”

The unintentional barb hits its mark, throwing Kuramochi off his suspicions momentarily. “Oi, you damned tanuki. Are you trying to talk down on me?”

_Thank God this guy is a hot-head._ He sighs inwardly and hopes Kuramochi doesn’t pick up on his earlier suspicions. “Well, I didn’t say that. But if the shoe fits—”

“MIYUKI YOU DAMNED TANUKI BASTARD!”

Despite the situation, Abe couldn’t help but chuckle at Kuramochi’s reactions. _Man, this is even better than witnessing one of Tajima’s inappropriate outbursts._ His chuckles only serve to rile the other more, and he sidesteps just as Kuramochi moves to lunge at him.

“KURAMOCHI! MIYUKI!” Both freeze upon hearing the voice. “Why are you making a fuss in the hallway?”

Using the distraction to make his escape, Abe quickly bows and mumbles a quick apology. “Sorry, sensei, it won’t happen again.” Then he turns around and scampers away. He knows Kuramochi won’t be far behind, so he speeds up and hopes the latter doesn’t catch him before he could find a suitable hiding place. _Just one more day, Abe, just one more day!_

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kudos and comments always appreciated <3


End file.
